5. Caesarian Wars + Dictatorship

Question 1

ETVT Economic problems were responsible for the breakdown of the Republic

Answer 1

1. Economic factors:
   - Slave economy and lack of employment, driving plebs to the city while the rich farm the land with large estates
   - Deprivation of the people leads to reliance on the corn dole and populares politicians
   - Debt, loan sharks and corruption leading to general civil unrest and unhappiness
   - Tax collectors in provinces, pubicani, exploiting population causing military unrest
2. Imperial expansion
   - Politicians who have become provincial governors granted so much power they are no longer contrained by the Senate (for example, when Caesar was provincial governor of Gaul)
   - Corruption in the furthest parts of the empire and apathy towards the Senate
3. Senate’s inability
   - Did not address social tensions (e.g. between senate and equestrians, or between plebs and upper society)
   - Allowed populares politicians to take advantage of the people’s desperation for political purposes (e.g. Gracchi brothers amassed a huge following)
   - Oppression of the urban plebs using the SCU and gang violence
   - Appeasing ambitious politicians and allowing economic problems to ensue for wealth

Question 2

Plutarch Caesar 57 (confess tyranny)

Answer 2

“This was confessedly a tyranny, since the monarchy, besides the element of irresponsibility now took on that of permanence”

Question 3

Plutarch Caesar 58

Answer 3

“he ardently desired to rule over willing subjects”

Question 4

Suetonius, Julius Caesar 42

Answer 4

“He conferred citizenship on all who practised medicine at Rome, and on all teachers of the liberal arts, to make them more desirous of living in the city”

Question 5

Appian Civil War 107

Answer 5

“He extended his hand to them, but did not rise […] they accused him of wishing to be greeted as a king”

Question 6

Appian Civil Wars 108

Answer 6

“put [person who put laurel on Caesar statue] in prison, pretending to gratify Caesar by this, as he had threatened any who should talk about making him king”

Question 7

Timeline of Caesar seizing power

Answer 7

49 BC Appointed dictator
48 BC secures his position as consul
47 BC mutiny from Gallic troops
46 BC re-elected consul and appointed dictator for 10 years (+praefecta morum)
45 BC Battle of Munda: afterwards appointed dictator for life and abdicates the fourth consulship

Question 8

How did Caesar exercise his power after being appointed dictator for life

Answer 8

• Large increase in Senate membership
• Restriction on governor terms
• Citizen status to Cisalpine Gaul + doctors/teachers
• Latin rights for Sicily and Transalpine Gaul
• Colonisation and resettlement of 80,000 veterans in Italy and the provinces
• Re-settled tributes for Asia, Sicily and Gaul
• Provided work to the urban mob through building programmes which allowed hi to reduce the corn dole
• insisting on employment of free men, reducing the power of slave states

Question 9

Plutarch , Caesar 57 (monarchy as respite)

Answer 9

“regarding the monarchy as respite from the evils of civil wars, they appointed him dictator for life”

Question 10

Suetonius p.386 (Bradley)

Answer 10

“Not only did he accept excessive honour ships, such as life-consulship, a life-dictatorship, a perpetual censorship, the title “imperator” put before his name and the title of “Father of his country” appended to it… but took other honours, which as a mere mortal he should have refused”

Question 11

What did Caesar leave Octavian

Answer 11

1. Legal rights to 3/4 estate
2. The promise to pay plebeians in Rome 75 sesterces each
3. NONE OF HIS POLITICAL POWER (other than Octavian’s namesake)

Question 12

How did Octavian pay everyone in Rome like he had promised?

Answer 12

• Despite being given 3/4 of his grandfather’s estate, Mark Antony had claimed most of the money
• Taking a risk, he borrowed the money from lenders in order to pay the plebeians
• This made Antony look incredibly unpopular, as his crimes in holding back the money were confirmed and made public

Question 13

Evaluate the usefulness of Plutarch

Answer 13

Plutarch writing in a very dramatic way in Parallel Lives- likely to exaggerate details of character for the sake of narrative. He is also Greek and has less understanding of Roman nuance, but on the other hand he is much more neutral than sources such as Cicero

Question 14

Evaluate the usefulness of Suetonius

Answer 14

Suetonius is a reliable source, though it is said he relies too much on gossip, this is not a social analysis of Caesar, rather an analysis of his reforms- a record of which Suetonius would have access to in the imperial archives (including Caesar’s memoirs which would have detailed his intentions behind the reforms)

Question 15

Evaluate the usefulness of Appian

Answer 15

Appian - Wrote - ‘The Civil Wars’ - written mid second century AD.
He lived from 95 – c. AD 165 and was a Greek historian living in Rome contently under the reigns of Flavians.
Apian lived quite long after these events occurred, but used sources of the time for his writings- though his focus is very war-centric

Question 16

“he had disregarded the laws, the auspices and all vetoes during his fist consulship”

Answer 16

Suetonius Caesar 30

Question 17

"”They chose this; they would have condemned me (…) if I had not sought the army’s help””

Answer 17

Suetonius, Caesar 30

Question 18

How did Caesar pander to the urban plebs and rural plebs in the beginning of his dictatorship

Answer 18

Suetonius 42, “he conferred citizenship to all who practised medicine in Rome”